


The Oath of the Historian

by lirin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Oxford Time Travel Universe - Connie Willis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Gen, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 22:38:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13109949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lirin/pseuds/lirin
Summary: “Even Slytherins act without thinking sometimes,” Verity said.





	The Oath of the Historian

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thelittlestdoc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelittlestdoc/gifts).



> With thanks to drayton for betaing.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised to find out that Verity was a Slytherin—she was clever, and prioritized ingratiating herself with people, and of course she certainly wasn't a Hufflepuff since we'd never been in a class together—but the thing with the cat still threw me.

"Even Slytherins act without thinking sometimes," Verity said. She had this way of wrinkling her nose when she was annoyed that was absolutely adorable.

"Really? Because I've always heard that trait belonged more to—"

"Don't. I just wanted the cat to be safe. I've always loved animals."

"Have you? I don't know anything about you. You could be a saboteur who doesn't like cats, for all I know."

"You're being silly," she said. The nose wrinkle was back. "And far too loud. Do you want to bring the Muggles down on us?" She stormed away to the window, and stood staring out at the grounds, back stiff and angry. Calling her a saboteur had probably been going too far.

I didn't see why she was worried, though. I'd cast a Concealment Charm before I'd confronted her, strong enough to keep out any Muggles. It was always possible that one of the contemps might be a witch or wizard, but I hadn't seen any sign of them around these parts. It was frankly too bad; I would have liked to see what wizarding society was like so long ago. Even Rampant Charms and Elevation Spells didn't exist in this era. Or the Net, for that matter; in 1888, wizards were still stuck using the few Time Turners that hadn't got locked away using one excuse or another.

I've only used a Time Turner once, in History of Temporalogy. It was imprecise, and it couldn't send people back very far. And the fact that it allows people to be in a time that they already exist in is terrifying. Two copies of yourself; how could that be possible? The Net is much more useful and civilized. No wonder the study of history finally took off when the Net was invented.

Not just the study of history, though; the wizards who invented it had been much more interested in plundering the past. But they discovered that Nicolas Flamel had many safeguards at his home, and even when they finally got their hands on the Philosopher's Stone—or, on later trips in their continued presumption, Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem and Salazar Slytherin's wand—the Net had refused to open. Somewhere in the complicated charms that interlaced it was something that refused to cooperate. When Amos Diggory tried to go back to kill Merope Gaunt before she could ever get pregnant, it didn't open then, either. In fact, it only opened for Historians with pure motivations—people who only wanted to observe the past, and who had sworn the Oath of the Historian never to interfere.

So why had it opened for Verity? I stared at her back. There were too many questions that needed to be answered. Was she really a Slytherin? Was she really an Historian? Sliding my hand quietly behind my back, I pulled out my wand. The Oath also said we would never use magic while on assignment, but this was an emergency. _"Expelliarmus!"_

_"Protego! Stupefy!"_

There was hurt betrayal in her eyes. I winced as I dodged, but it was too late to back off now unless I wanted to end up hurt. The problem was, I didn't want to hurt Verity either. _"Protego! Aguamenti!"_ Now that was not a good choice. I needed to think. And not about the way she resembled a naiad again, wet dress clinging to her as she moved, and hair half-falling around her shoulders. I snapped out of my reverie just in time to dive under an occasional table. _"Protego!"_ I yelled again.

_"Stupefy!"_

_"Petrificus Totalus!"_ That wasn't Verity's voice. The Body-Bind Curse took effect before I could turn to see who it was. Across the room from me, Verity was similarly immobile. We were going to be in so much trouble for this.

Verity's eyes were moving rapidly. She was probably trying to communicate something, but I couldn't decode what. It was probably either "If you get me fired as an Historian, I will make sure you regret it" or "There's a man with a wand standing right behind you, watch out" and I already knew both of those, so it didn't much matter.

"I thought you two were up to something," Baine said. Baine? I would have recoiled in shock, but the curse forestalled my reaction. Baine held a short black wand in a firm but ready grip, slowly circling the room to face us but never lowering his guard. "Had a falling-out, did you? You're lucky I got here first, or you could have charges for violating the Statute of Secrecy on top of whatever else you're accused of. Whom do you work for? Black? Chattisbourne? Are you thieves or are you up to something more?"

He seemed to be expecting a response. I didn't have many options for responding open to me, so I just rolled my eyes. Across from me, I could see Verity doing the same thing.

"Right," Baine said. "Don't try anything, I'm watching you. _Finite Incantatem_. Now then, who are you and whom do you work for?"

"We are on a highly secret and delicate mission," Verity said. I supposed that was true, though our chances of convincing Baine that said mission was friendly were approximately zero. "We cannot tell just anyone about it. Who are you? I assumed you were a Muggle. Why have you taken this job as a butler? Are you planning to steal from the Merings?"

Turning Baine's accusations around on him. Wise woman! I could have hugged her, if it hadn't been completely inappropriate in this era. And if she hadn't been all wet from my Aguamenti charm. And if I hadn't just tried to Disarm her. And if Baine hadn't been holding his wand ready to unleash a curse the moment I moved a muscle. All in all, not hugging Verity seemed the better choice in the circumstances.

"No, I just enjoy the job, and it pays decently. I started out as a bodyguard for Percival Prewett, when he was traveling in Muggle circles for a time. But when Prewett was ready to move on, one of his Muggle associates offered me a job, and I decided I had no reason not to take it. A while after that, the Merings offered me a better job with more pay, so I moved here. They pay well, and I feel attached. Which is why—" He raised his wand threateningly— "I'm going to make sure that in this house nobody—" He fell over, caught off-balance by a Body-Bind Curse.

"Get people talking and they stop paying as much attention to their surroundings," Verity said. She pushed Baine lightly on the shoulder, and he fell across the grand piano. "And they always like to talk about themselves. Now where were we?"

I scrambled to look nonthreatening. I had no idea where my wand had gotten to, and I didn't want to fight Verity anyway. Raising my hands in the air, I blurted, "I didn't mean it! I just thought you were a spy, but I—"

Verity jumped forward and seized my hands in her own. "Darling," she said.

"What?"

"Oooooh!" Tossie giggled from behind them. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, Cousin Verity, but Ma _ma_ is asking for you right away. She's in the dining room." She flounced away. Thankfully, she hadn't glanced at the grand piano once.

Verity watched her go. "I'm not a spy," she said. "I'm just an Historian. Ask Dunworthy, if you don't believe me." She followed Tossie serenely, pinning up her dripping hair as she went.

She knew I wouldn't. I didn't want to have to explain to him how I'd nearly broken the Statute of Secrecy any more than she'd wanted to explain why she'd broken the Oath of the Historian when she brought the cat back. But apparently she still thought of us as being on the same side, so I hadn't completely botched things. But my questions for her would have to wait; until we could be certain our actions weren't breaking the Net, I couldn't afford to risk losing my only ally in this era. I glanced at Baine, still draped over the piano. He might not be an ally, but I hoped he wouldn't be a complete enemy, because I couldn't leave him here.

I walked completely out of the room, though. No need to take any chances. From outside, I stuck my head back in the door and whispered _"Finite."_ Then I ran. It would take him a minute to disentagle himself from the piano.

And now there was both a witch and a wizard loose in this house who weren't terribly happy with me. If only Verity's original crime had been cab-toting or stealing Lady Windermere's fan, or anything that seemed less likely to break both the Net and me. And her, I thought courteously.

Still, in the Oath of the Historian I had sworn that I would observe everything that happened at my destination to the best of my ability. And if there was one thing I was certain of, it was that these events were going to give me plenty to observe—and possibly test my resolve to keep that Oath.


End file.
